Saturday, February 21, 2009

In honor of Project Linus Day, Feb 21, but in honor of all children, and all charitable projects for children... any and all days of the year: Make a blanket or quilt for a child and donate it to Project Linus.

If there is not a Project Linus in your area, consider starting a group. And of course, donate to any local hospital, or baby care project and mention your support of Project Linus and all of us who sew for babies and children, everywhere!

And for that, I have just added to my huge list of Free Quilt Patterns by creating a category of free patterns perfect for children. It also includes some doll quilts and patterns to be used for American Girl Dolls just for fun. This post is specifically for babies and children and includes a multitude of links for preemies and precious angel babies who leave us far too soon.

I do my best to donate 25 quilts a year to charitable causes and most of those go to babies and children..the hearts of my own heart. And when I have a grandbaby of my own, of course I had to sew for her, for my children's friends children, and most of the time for babies and children that I don't know and probably will never meet. It does my heart such good to create and to share and I know it will yours, as well!

Scissors or rotary cutter and mat ( I prefer scissor cutting for this)

Tape measure

DIRECTIONS: Cut both layers of fleece at the same time.

1. Remove flat selvage edge if desired on both pieces.
2. Lay fleece wrong sides
together. Cut a 4"-6" square from each corner of
the fleece. (I make a cardboard square template of required size and use it over and over again for ease of cutting)

2. FRINGE: Cut 4" - 7" deep (depending on finished blanket size) into
fleece at 1" intervals around all sides of top & bottom layers. Knot
fringes together around blanket, using 1 strand from the front and 1
strand from the back. Double knot, but do not tie too tightly or it will
bunch and be less attractive.

PILLOW SUPPLIES & TOOLS:

Fleece: 3/4 yd each, print & solid

16" square pillow form

Rotary cutter & mat

Tape measure

DIRECTIONS: Cut both layers of fleece at the same time.

1. Cut 26"x26" from each piece of fleece. Lay fleece wrong sides together. Cut a 5" square from each corner.

2. FRINGE: Cut 5" into fleece at 1" intervals around all sides of top & bottom layers. Knot fringe pieces together
around 3 sides, using 1 strand from the front and 1 strand from the back.

3. Insert pillow form. Finish tying pillow closed.

Make a Fleece Baby Play Pad..use alone or under a little play gym for floor play with baby!

Fabric and Supplies:

Fleece...my play mat ended up being 36" x 36" for a specific use area..but make yours as big as you like!

You'll need a piece of fleece for both front and back ..I used two different co-coordinating pieces

Plus a extra thick piece of batting..I used upholstery batt, but you
could use multiple pieces of high loft poly depending on how thick you
want it!

Stitch a seam all around , right sides together, keeping an eye on your design if its linear or has a pattern you want to maintain as mine did with this block lines of 'stitching'...

Be sure to leave a 6" space ..unstitched..so you can go in and pull it back out right sides out again!

Then I inserted my thick batt...my own preference rather than including it in the stitching since mine was extra extra high loft from mulitple layers..I used one piece of upholstery batting sandwiched in between two pieces of regular, thinner poly batting.

Ta Da..a wonderful play mat, make one for baby and one for grammy's house too!

The Simplest of Patches Baby Quilt...make it any way you like with patches!

With Strips and Strings!

With String Piecing!

With Panels or Blocks!

With Improvisational Piecing!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tied Quilts and Comforter Debate:

Just a note on the "Are tied quilts okay to donate for small children and babies" debate and it's urban myth legend started by a simple book in 1935 that creates the false idea that babies 'choked' on the quilt ties. Really? So, if that were true...and it isn't...why do those same groups accept knit and crocheted baby blankets?

If your guild guild has these old fashioned issues..donate to ANY Project Linus group!!!

And I quote from their primary site on becoming a blanketeer:

Our volunteers, known as “blanketeers,” provide new, handmade, washable blankets to be given as gifts to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0-18. It is Project Linus' policy to accept blankets of all sizes, depending on local chapter needs. All blanket styles are welcome, including quilts, tied comforters, fleece blankets, crocheted or knitted afghans, and receiving blankets in child-friendly colors. Always remember that blankets must be homemade, washable, free of pins, and come from smoke-free environments due to allergy reasons.

There you go! And if you live in Salem, Oregon, as I do..donate to Alexia's Cozy Covers where they accept all quilts and blankets to the same standards as Project Linus. That's how I got involved with both of these groups when my own guild guild had outdated specifications ;-)

Use the Rail Fence baby quilt pattern to sew a patchwork quilt that's filled with color. This easy baby quilt is suitable for beginning quilters.

Use my free Broken Dishes Quilt pattern to make this popular and traditional patchwork quilt. The quilt pattern also includes information to help you make multiple sizes of the Broken Dishes Quilt Block.

Make a Framed Nine Patch baby quilt with this free baby quilt pattern. This easy quilt pattern is beginner friendly -- so it's perfect for a first quilt.

Baby quilt patterns are tops in popularity, so I'm creating more of them each week. All of my free baby quilt patterns include detailed instructions and step-by-step illustrations, making them suitable for quilters of every skill level. I hope you'll find a baby quilt pattern you love in the archives.

Got Blues is a monochromatic quilt that might be somewhat large for a baby quilt pattern, but it's a good size for a child's quilt.

The Road Trip quilt is made from squares and rectangles, with color values arranged to give the quilt up and down motion. Its size makes it a good choice for a baby quilt pattern -- just change the theme of your fabric to make it suit a child.

These easy baby quilt patterns are perfect projects for anyone who's making a first quilt. Make this Sunshine & Shadows variation (or Trip Around the World) and it's cousin, the Baby Furrows quilt.

Go soft and frayed with rag quilt versions of both baby quilts described in the entry above.

Making comfort quilts is an important activity for thousands and thousands of quilters. A group of our forum members spent one evening at a quilting retreat making baby quilts for an international charity. It's easy to start your own charity quilting group.

Released by the designer for free download:

The finished piece measures approximately 37 X 43 inches. Download the two-page Baby Blocks Quilt Pattern as a PDF to print out the pattern.

From squeaking to sliding, baby will be busy for hours with this fun activity quilt. This could be the new mom's best friend! The finished piece measures approximately 351/2 X 351/2 inches. Download the five-page Baby's Busy Day Quilt Pattern as a PDF to print out the pattern.

What a wonderful way to commemorate the birth of a special baby! This heartwarming quilt is personalized with the baby's name, birth date, and weight cross-stitched in the design. The finished piece measures approximately 371/2 X 481/2 inches. Download the three-page Birth Bear Baby Quilt Pattern as a PDF to print out the pattern.

Bold western images of boots and cacti, lone stars, and ten-gallon hats give the Home on the Range Quilt Pattern its "mane" appeal. So saddle up and create this keepsake quilt today! The finished piece measures approximately 44 X 53 inches. Download the seven-page Home on the Range Quilt Pattern as a PDF to print out the pattern.
The adorable ducks featured on the Lucky Ducky Quilt Pattern wear their hearts on their sleeves! Each duck is framed in a log cabin border for added interest. The finished piece measures approximately 331/2 X 41 inches. Download the two-page Lucky Ducky Quilt Pattern as a PDF to print out the pattern.

Patterns from AZBlankets4kids:

Preemie and Bereavement Quilts

Shown above: my own simple 10" to 15" quilts with ribbons sewn on for ties. If you want the bottom to fold up as shown, make them a larger size or sew in another simple square section, folded into a triangle shape at one corner to make a little pocket-pouch.

Many websites offer a variety of fetal demise pouches, wraps, blankets, or simple quilts or garment. Mothers are often offended by the medical term of "Fetal Demise." Fetal Demise is technically a miscarriage, or a still birth, of a non-viable fetus or baby.

When a tiny baby is born before its time, and is too fragile to survive,
usually during the second or early third trimester, there is still
birth of the baby.. A loss of this kind is huge for the grieving parents
to face, yet most of them still want to both see, and to hold, their
tiny little infants. It is a very special part of that grieving process,
of letting go of the dreams of what might have been..to hold and to
bond with their tiny little one.

What can be even harder is discovering that you have nothing to wrap or
dress your tiny loved one in, as nothing will fit ,or is appropriate for
the simplest of touches that are possible when holding, and saying
goodbye. And so to have your little one passed to you in a rough, or not
very attractive, piece of cloth only makes that awareness that much
sharper and more painful.

Babies are wrapped up in simple tiny blanket like piece of cloth that
most hospital provide. But if the hospital has them, a tiny little
quilt or blanket.... made for this purpose by volunteers... can be
wrapped around their little one for that holding, bonding, and saying
goodbye, time.

♥I
have just recently made more than a dozen of these tiny little angel
wraps and preemie blankets for this very purpose. And gone on to make a
dozen more.

It was a deeply moving process for me as I made each and every one of
them. I also make lots and lots of preemie quilts and blankets for
donation.

My tiny blankets, quilts and wraps are quite simple. They range from as
tiny as a 9" square to as large as a 14" one. But each is special and
made with love.

Many websites offer a variety of ideas for extra tiny pouches, wraps,
blankets, or simple quilts or garments for what is medically termed as
'fetal demise.' And while these words seem harsh to those who have
never heard them before, they are simply what the end of life resulting
in a still birth is often called.

The
idea of a specially made little quiltlet created and made with love and
compassion seemed like a wonderful gift to give to our local hospital,
so I decided to spend a few days creating some in varying sizes and
making a list of other ideas.

I found an assortment of links, files, and free downloadable patterns
for a variety of blankets, quilts, pouches and wraps. But making a
simple wrap can be as easy as making a simple 9"-12" blanket or quilt
that can be tied to create a little pouch like shape for the tiniest of
the tiny ones.Some can be tucked under at the bottom for the very
tiniest and others can simply have a little half triangle pouch sewed
into one corner or be left open to cradle the littlest of babies.

I simply cut two or there squares of fabric sized from 9" to 11". A
third square can be folded in half and place as a triangle shape in one
corner and sewn in a the same time, or it can be left open as an "Angel
Cradle Wrap" as shown by mine, above. The one above is very small and I
would add the corner pocket, or cut it more like 12".

I used very thin batting in between or a little piece of flannel,
instead of batting. Several of mine are quilted, the others simply have a
heart shape quilted on to bind the pieces together. Add some ribbons at
the tying points and rosettes or other simple trims and you have sweet
little wraps for the tiniest of little angels.

For those who like to use or simply view patterns here are links to free
patterns, photos and clothing links for preemies of all stages and sizes.
Mine are intended for little ones weighing about 1 lb and about 6"
long...a truly sad and yet endearing thought filled with compassion for
the losses that so many of us endure.

In Remembrance

A friend shared this list for me.
Obviously, some one else put it together, so my thanks appreciation to
my friend and to the lovely person who found these links. Many are
repeats to mine above, but still worth taking another look at it!

♥NICU and PICU Babies:♥

Shirts, gowns, smocks, blankets, wraps,

and a

Snoedel or Snuggle Doll

Shirts, gowns, smocks, blankets, wraps

And for all all of the precious little ones who do make it, but face
so many challenges in their lives after birth! All of us have been
touched by a precious little one in our life, often someone very near
and dear to our own hearts, that faces a myriad of challenges after birth.

God
Bless all of the families, all of the care givers, the doctors, the
nurses and the surgeons who work tirelessly in heartfelt service to
these little babies who have to fight so very hard to be brought to
life, to live, and to face their lives when they do make it through birth, through surgery (s) and often have long recuperation periods both in special NICU or PICU wings of hospitals.

Miracles happen every day and what a blessing to families everywhere that surgical techniques have been invented in the past three or so decades that allow these tiny preemies or even full term babies to have their congenital issued corrected with wonderful new life saving techniques. It allows little mended hearts and bodies to survive, to grow, and to lead happy and often quite healthy lives.

So don't forget to make special items for them! You can make anything from special little snuggle gifts that can be kept close to mama or daddy's heart and then kept close to baby in their little NICU or PICU isolette, to tiny NICU gowns with multiple and easy fastener openers to accommodate tubes and wires!

Make them for your own loved one or to donate to any local hospital's neonatal care unit or to specialty hospitals like the Oregon Health Science Center/Dornbecher Children's Hospital that we have close by in Portland, Oregon.

This, believe it or not becomes a tiny NICU shirt/gown for a little
one! Use your imagination and see how this shape becomes the tiny
garment below!!

This one below is from Pinterest, I need to figure out where the
original link came from and then I will add it in! But here is another
version without the open side seams (which I personally like as simple
softer pieces of velcro can tab them open or shut. But many babies could
also use this version below, which velcro opens and closes at the
shoulder seam!

Or if you prefer, one like this with side seams and a cross over that can cross on either or both interchangeably, sides!

Need a pattern? Just use a garment of choice for shape and size and
draw around it, to create an approximate piece! They should be loose, so
no need for perfectionism of any kind. Just soft flannels,and the
softer velcros. Some people like snaps, saying that velcro catches,
well..snaps take a lot of pressure and its not easy with one hand under
to push and one on top..so there are choices you have to decide on for
your own preference! But shop around and touch the velcro on the rolls,
some are softer than others for the hooks and loops! And little simple
ribbon ties work nicely, as well!

NICU Craft Buds

"These teeny, tiny NICU smocks are designed to fit babies weighing 3 to 5
pounds. When babies are in the NICU, it can really be a gift to the
parents to see their little ones wearing some sort of clothing. (With
all the monitors & wires, clothing is difficult to get on.) Make one
to donate to your hospital’s neonatal unit."Download the free NICU smock pattern here

And from Project NICU...baby gowns and a free tutorials as showcased below but it its entirety here:

Diaper Shirt Pattern -
This is the pattern we started with. We are trying to phase out this
pattern though since it fits only a limited number of babies. We are
moving to making more of the kimono patterns.Diaper Shirt Pattern with pictures - This
is a pattern we started with. We are trying to phase out this pattern
though since it fits only a limited number of babies. We are moving to
making more of the kimono patterns.

Diaper Shirt with Dress & Ruffles pattern - This
is a pattern we started with. We are trying to phase out this pattern
though since it fits only a limited number of babies. We are moving to
making more of the kimono patterns.

Embroidered Blocks Charity Quilt (E)
Embroidered Blocks Charity Quilt is very easy to make and it great if
you would just like to embroider blocks for someone else to put the
quilt together. Here is the Link for you: Embroidery Block Charity Quilt Instructions

And best of all, here in Oregon, we are blessed to have an amazing regional hospital
that rival those in Seattle and Los Angeles. Our services all hospitals
and states in our surrounding vicinity.

I have been asked if others might help that do not sew for their own
causes. And the answer is "of course you can!!!!" If you would like to
help me as I sew for these special babies on a regular basis, you are
welcome to make a small monetary donation to cover fabric or send soft
flannels, ribbons, tiny embroidery appliques, to mail tiny items to me.
If you have soft baby fabrics to pass on or trims, they are always
welcome. If you do not have a personal outlet nearby, you are also
welcome to donate your tiny wraps and I will donate them to hospital
neo-natal centers for you.

Every child, born or unborn is precious, your donations help me to
continue to inspire others and to make items for donation. Bless you for
asking about donations. My donations all go to Oregon outlets unless
they are specially requested.

Misc Baby Items:

Free Baby Snuggler Patterns and Tutorials

A
cross between a blanket and something like a baby sleeper depending on
the pattern. So popular now, often made in gauze but so lovely in
anything from soft flannel for summer, to cotton knits for fall, to baby
micro fleece for the winter months:

11 comments:

I DO love your work. I mentioned you on our local Project Linus website as a blogger to watch. You are so thoughtful. Thank you for all this work. I will try to add your widget. You are also on my blogs to watch list. Thanks!